If this is the first edition of the Marine Parents newsletter you have received, WELCOME! If you are a returning reader we are glad you have joined us and are thankful for your support.

It's January, so that means it's time for our annual "Souper Hero" campaign, and we need your help! Learn more in our first article.

On January 21, 2003, Marine Parents was founded. It's been a long and emotional journey, but we're still going strong 11 years later! Read more about it in our second article.

46 years ago this week, one of the longest, most vicious battles of the Vietnam War began--the battle of Khe Sanh. Learn more in our third piece.

Finally, we end with a few "quick read" articles. To learn more about two Marine Special Operators who were recently awarded the Navy Cross, a Marine who rescued a drowning girl in North Carolina, or the final Marine commander in Afghanistan, please read our fourth and final piece.

God bless and Semper Fi!

Tracy Della Vecchia

Founder and Executive Director

MarineParents.com, Inc.

Our 2014 "Souper Hero" Campaign Needs Your Help!We Have Just One Day to Raise More Than $8,000!

Winter in Afghanistan is brutally cold and even though Marines are tougher than most of us, they aren't immune to the frigid conditions. With that in mind, it's our goal to help keep our Marines warm this winter.

This Saturday, January 25, we'll be packing 600-700 care packages for Marines in Afghanistan and we want to include a can of soup, a balaclava, and a pair of hand-warmers for our heroes in each box. Our deployed Marines need to know that Americans are still behind them, and we need your help to meet our goal of raising $10,000 by tomorrow, Friday, January 24, to make this happen!

The balaclavas and hand-warmers will keep our Marines warm on patrols and guard-duty, and the pop-top soups are a warm, hearty, and convenient meal for when they return to their barracks. The 19 ounce cans don't require water, so they can simply be heated and eaten whenever, and the quality ingredients will keep our heroes full and satisfied.

With the war in Afghanistan winding down, the wants and needs of our men and women in uniform deployed overseas are drifting further and further from the collective mind of the general public. "Out of sight, out of mind" as the saying goes. And that's where we need you, the Marine Parents family, to step in.

Our Marines love receiving these packages. In addition to the food and other items they contain, the packages are a reminder of home. A reminder that people in America still care. That we recognize and appreciate the sacrifices others are making on our behalf. That we haven't forgotten those in harm's way around the world.

We began our annual "Souper Hero" campaign in 2012 and had no problem reaching our goal either year. So far, in the two weeks we've been running the campaign this year, we've only managed to raise roughly 20% of our goal. That means that we have just ONE DAY to raise more than $8,000 for our Marines.2014 may be our last "Souper Hero" campaign ever, so don't miss out on one last chance to keep Marines warm this winter!

Please, donate to our 2014 "Souper Hero" campaign and help us send deployed Marines a little reminder of home and show them that America still supports its troops!

Marines are our super heroes every day. Now, it's time for us to return the favor and be their "Souper Heroes" as we try to reach our $10,000 goal so we are able to purchase the necessary supplies to keep our deployed Marines warm this winter. It may seem like a lofty goal, but with your kindness and generosity, we know we can succeed!

Happy Anniversary Marine Parents!11 Years of Service and Still Going Strong

This past Tuesday, January 21, we celebrated our 11th anniversary here at MarineParents.com. We've come a long way since 2003, and whether you've been with us since the beginning or you've just recently found us, we greatly appreciate all that you, the Marine Parents family, do for our Marines. For eleven years, we've been standing with you during your Marine's career in the Corps, during every phase, from boot camp to deployment to homecoming to recovery to veteran status. Together we've learned about the Marine Corps and been given opportunities to connect and share with one another in hopes of "getting closer" to our sons and daughters.

Through all of the ups and downs of the last eleven years, you've been there for us and, more importantly, for our Marines. During that time, thanks to your love and support, more than 38,000 care packages have been sent to deployed service members, more than 87,000 cards and letters have been sent, and thousands of meals have been served, to Wounded Heroes, and countless families and individuals have sought and found comfort, answers, and strength in the Marine Parents community. With your ongoing support, we know that we can make 2014 our most successful year yet. God Bless and Semper Fi!

U.S. Marines inch their way toward the summit of Hill 881N during the Battle of Khe Sanh (USMC Photo)

46 years ago Tuesday, on January 21, 1968, the Battle of Khe Sanh began outside the village of the same name in the Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, 14 miles south of the DMZ and six miles east of the Laotian border, when the People's Army of North Vietnam (PAVN) launched a massive artillery bombardment on the U.S. Marine garrison. For the next 77 days, until April 6, the Marines and their South Vietnamese allies, the

Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), fought off the siege in what was the longest, and one of the bloodiest, battles in the war.

In a ceremony last Saturday, January 18, two Marine Special Operators were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for heroism. Capt. Matthew P. Manoukian, of Los Altos Hills, California, and Staff Sgt. Sky R. Mote, El Dorado, Calif, were deployed to Afghanistan with the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, when they came under fire from an Afghan police officer in an insider attack. Both Marines exposed themselves to gunfire from the shooter in an attempt to buy time for their fellow Marines to reach saftey and are the third and fourth MARSOC members to receive the Navy Cross.Click here to read more...

Marine Saves Drowning Girl

Cpl. Brian E. Babineau, of Gardner, MA has his Navy Commendation Medal citation read to him by Sgt. Maj. Rodger D. Newcomb during an award ceremony on January 10, 2014 at Camp Lejeune, NC. (Photo courtesy of Cpl. Devin Nichols)

In a January 10 ceremony, Cpl. Brian E. Babineau received the Navy Commendation Medal for his actions at a North Carolina beach last July 14. On that day, Babineau was with a group of Marines at North Topsail Beach when a young girl got caught in a rip current was unable to make it back to shore. After hearing screams, Babineau immediately ran to the water, dove in, and began swimming toward the girl. A short while later, the exhausted Marine had the frightened (but otherwise safe) child safely on shore and back in the arms of her father. Click here to read more...

Last Rotation of Marines Arrives in Afghanistan

Brig. Gen. Daniel D. Yoo (USMC Photo)

Brig. Gen. Daniel D. Yoo became the last Marine to command combat troops in Afghanistan, after more than a decade of war, when he took charge as the top Marine commander in the country earlier this month. Once established at Camp Leatherneck, one of just four remaining American bases in Afghanistan (down from the 46--including 24 British ones--that were operational at this time last year), Yoo will oversee roughly 4,000 Marines and will be primarily focused on the mentoring of high-level Afghan military personnel and coordinating the American military's withdrawal. Click here to learn more...

We hope this week's edition of our email newsletter has been useful for you and your family. If there are topics you would like us to address, or if you have other suggestions for the newsletter, please contact us.

Banner Photo--Twentynine Palms, Ca--Three CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters prepare to drop off Marines during an air raid in support of Exercise Steel Knight 2014 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Dec. 11th, 2013. After landing, the Marines set up blocking positions and secured the airfield. The training developed important skills and tactics necessary for their upcoming deployment to Australia. Steel Knight is an annual exercise that includes elements from the entire I Marine Expeditionary Force that focuses on conventional operations and provides realistic training that prepares Marines for overseas operations. (Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jonathan Boynes)

MarineParents.com, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) public charity. MarineParents.com, Inc., was founded in January 2003 in response to parents' needs to find information and to have "a place to connect and share"® with one another during their Marine's career. Our free online services and connections have expanded to support and educate Marine moms and dads, spouses, families and friends. We've more than 400,000 Marine and recruit families during boot camp, training, active duty and deployments. We've shipped more than 38,000 care packages overseas to our Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, sent 87,000 prayers and letters to injured Marines and served thousands of meals to wounded heroes and their families on the East and West coasts. You've found "a place to connect and share."®